One-Pot Black Fungus Chicken in Chinese Wine Recipe

Method15 steps · about 1 hr 15 min

1. 1

   Step 1: Pat the cleaned four bone-in chicken thighs with attached drumsticks dry with clean paper towels. Keep chilled and use separate utensils from ready serving foods.

   Uses 4 chicken thighs with attached drumsticks, bone-in

2. 2

   Step 2: Cut each thigh-and-drumstick portion from step 1 into five pieces with suitable clean poultry-cutting equipment. Check for loose bone fragments and keep the pieces chilled.

   Uses Prepared cleaned chicken leg portions

3. 3

   Step 3: Mix the chicken pieces from step 2 with all the marinade stocks: 1¼ tbsp cornstarch, 2 tsp light soy sauce, ½ tsp salt, 2 tbsp oyster sauce and 1 tsp sesame oil. Cover and refrigerate for about 30 minutes while preparing the fungi and daylilies.

   Finish chilled chicken marinade · 30 minUses Chopped bone-in chicken pieces · 1¼ tbsp cornstarch, for marinade · 2 tsp light soy sauce, for marinade · ½ tsp salt, for marinade · 2 tbsp oyster sauce, for marinade · 1 tsp sesame oil, for marinade

4. 4

   Step 4: In three separate bowls, soak the 15 g dried wooden-ear fungus, 10 g dried black cloud fungus and 30 g dried daylilies in cool clean water until fully expanded and pliable. Gently rub and rinse the fungi to remove grit. Keep room-temperature fungus soaking within 2 hours, refrigerating if more time is needed, and discard these soaking liquids.

   Uses 15 g dried black wooden-ear fungus (about 2 large pieces) · 10 g dried black cloud fungus · 30 g dried daylilies (golden needles) · Cool clean water, for separate fungus and daylily soaking bowls · Clean water, for rinsing expanded fungi

5. 5

   Step 5: Trim the hard bases from the softened wooden-ear fungus from step 4 and cut it into thick strips. Keep the rinsed cloud fungus separate and ready; discard any remaining hard base or grit.

   Uses Wooden-ear fungus only, excluding cloud fungus, daylilies and discarded water

6. 6

   Step 6: Wash the 4–5 dried shiitake mushrooms, then soak them in enough hot clean water until fully soft. Refrigerate if a prolonged soak is needed. Keep this mushroom liquid separate from the discarded fungus and daylily soaking water.

   Uses 4–5 medium dried Chinese shiitake mushrooms · Hot clean water, for soaking shiitake mushrooms · Clean water, for washing dried shiitake

7. 7

   Step 7: Remove and discard the hard stems from the softened shiitake mushrooms in step 6. Rinse the caps, squeeze them dry and cut into thick strips. Strain and reserve their soaking liquid separately.

   Uses Softened shiitake mushrooms and their soaking liquid · Clean water, for rinsing softened shiitake caps

8. 8

   Step 8: Wash the softened daylilies from step 4, remove their hard ends, tie a knot in each and squeeze dry.

   Uses Daylilies only, excluding fungi and discarded soaking water · Clean water, for washing softened daylilies

9. 9

   Step 9: Lightly rinse the measured 1½ tbsp wolfberries, drain and reserve for the last five minutes of steaming.

   Uses 1½ tbsp wolfberries (about 10–15 g) · Clean water, for rinsing wolfberries

10. 10

    Step 10: After the chicken has marinated for 30 minutes, mix it from step 3 with the prepared wooden-ear strips from step 5, rinsed cloud fungus from step 4, shiitake strips and strained mushroom liquid from step 7, knotted daylilies from step 8 and the separate 200 ml water. Transfer to a deep stainless-steel steaming plate with room for the foods and liquid.

    Uses Chilled seasoned chicken pieces · Trimmed wooden-ear strips · Cloud fungus only, excluding wooden-ear fungus, daylilies and discarded water · Edible strips only, excluding reserved liquid, discarded stems and washing water · Strained mushroom liquid only, excluding strips and discarded stems · Daylilies only, excluding discarded washing water and trimmed ends · 200 ml water, for steaming plate

11. 11

    Step 11: Put enough external steamer water in the wok below the rack and bring to a full boil over high heat. Keep this water below the food plate.

    Uses External water, for the wok below the food plate

12. 12

    Step 12: Set the plate from step 10 on the rack above the boiling water from step 11 and cover the wok. Maintain steady steam over high heat for an initial 20–25 minutes, checking from 20 minutes for the wolfberry addition. Watch the water level and add external boiling water if needed. The source gives 25–30 minutes total including the next five-minute phase.

    Add reserved wolfberries · 20 minUses Plate of marinated chicken, prepared fungi, daylilies and plate liquid · Boiling external steamer water · Additional external boiling water, only if needed

13. 13

    Step 13: Spread the drained wolfberries from step 9 over the chicken plate from step 12. Cover and steam for another 5 minutes. Check several thick chicken pieces away from the bone reach 74°C and that the fungi and daylilies are fully cooked and tender; continue steaming as needed before serving.

    Check fully cooked chicken · 5 minUses Food plate and its contents only, excluding external wok water · Wolfberries only, excluding discarded rinsing water

14. 14

    Step 14: Lift the fully cooked plate from step 13 out of the steamer safely and take it off the heat. Add the 2–3 tbsp Shaoxing wine to the hot dish and mix gently.

    Uses Fully cooked chicken, fungi, daylilies and wolfberries in plate liquid · 2–3 tbsp Shaoxing wine, for finishing off the heat

15. 15

    Step 15: Serve the finished chicken and its juices from step 14 hot with ready cooked rice if wanted, using six side-dish portions as the author guide.

    Uses Finished wine-seasoned chicken dish · Ready cooked rice, for serving